Ruin meWoe to me,I am undone
A sinner found in Your presence
I see You seated on Your throne
ExaltedYour glory surrounds You
Now the plans that I've made
Fail to compare when I see Your glory
Refrain
Ruin my lifeThe plans that I've made
Ruin these eyes for my own selfish gain
Destroy the idols that have taken Your place
Till it's You alone I live for
You alone I live for, Lord (Jeff Johnson)
Till it's You alone I live for
You alone I live for, Lord (Jeff Johnson)
These word were running through my mind all day long as we experienced the Holy, heavy presence of Christ today in all of our meetings. From the beginning of worship to the end of the evening we all could sense that the Holy Spirit was our guide and friend today.
It all began early this morning with worship led by 10th Avenue North and then Randy Elrod spoke for the first time ever at his own conference (unheard of in the realms of conferences) Randy, always genuine and authentic, spoke to us about the Blessings of God and in a holy moment we shared our deepest needs and fears. I knew that we were in for a day of being undone.
Ken Davis led us in laughter and thought this afternoon as he told us again authentically about being God's beloved. "Where Christ love abides, hope is alive!"
Then Ian Morgan Cron led us in an understanding of the Eucharist and then led us in the liturgy of the table of Holy Communion. I'm familiar with this because of my work with Emmaus, so you can imagine that my heart soared as we sang
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
God of power and might
heaven and earth are filled with your Glory
Hosanna! In the highest!
followed closely by "Come Holy Spirit" over and over and over again. It was tipping point at that time when we finally came to the table. Ian had us come to the table with open hands to receive the bread (and I kneeled for the first time at communion). Ian placed the bread in my hands, made the sign of the cross on my forehead and then touched under my chin and said "Bless you Jim--God loves you". I then crawled again to the cup and placed my bread in there. Randy served me and oh--that was it!!! An extended time of prayer at the altar followed as I chewed on that bread and drink for such a long, long time. It was beautiful.
heaven and earth are filled with your Glory
Hosanna! In the highest!
followed closely by "Come Holy Spirit" over and over and over again. It was tipping point at that time when we finally came to the table. Ian had us come to the table with open hands to receive the bread (and I kneeled for the first time at communion). Ian placed the bread in my hands, made the sign of the cross on my forehead and then touched under my chin and said "Bless you Jim--God loves you". I then crawled again to the cup and placed my bread in there. Randy served me and oh--that was it!!! An extended time of prayer at the altar followed as I chewed on that bread and drink for such a long, long time. It was beautiful.
The greatest moments in my life are somehow connected to communion. I can remember every significant communion experience that I've had, and this one has to rank right up there.
Another minister slipped in the door right before communion. He said to me afterwards he felt the presence of the Lord so heavy in the room when he walked in the door. He told me he said "Oh, hello Lord--there you are!" He said he was moved beyond measure. I truly wish everyone could experience this with me.
Tonight ended with a great banquet meal and worship led by Travis Cottrell (yippee--he's my worship leader!!) and Chris Sligh (American Idol singer--now Christian song writer). That was it...
I was done and spent for the evening. Full of great worship, word, expression, experiences and open hearted discussion about hopes and dreams. Can it get any better?
As they say in Emmaus--every day is a little better, and the best is yet to come. I can't wait.
Posts
3 comments:
Jim, I'd love to talk to you more about yesterday. I felt such a sense of God's presence that I simply could not move when communion was over. I wanted to crawl into a corner and lay on my face. Conversation felt obscene. I've felt the presence of God many times in my life but yesterday was so incredibly heavy and sweet that I was almost unsure of what to do - to move seemed irreverant. I don't know. It was powerful and I'm still processing or attempting to. Perhaps I should just say "thank you" and not try to make more of it but it was one of the most incredibly sweet, yet - for me - also sad moments. Sometimes seeing what can be highlights what we do not have. I can't say it any better than that. It was beautiful and holy and yet God spoke something serious to me about community that I am attempting to sort out. It was special to share the moment with ya'll.
Jan
Lets get together at break and discuss.. I would count that a joy to UNPACK what God said to both of us yesterday through the meal of the table!
Love the picture of you guys. I so wish I could be there. I am telling you honey, I am there next year.
I can see it on your face that this has been an awesome week for you.
Post a Comment